Money belts might have fallen out of fashion with the advent of wireless payment technology, but a little bit of their ‘style’ and function lives on in the Canyon Hip Bag. Impressively slimline, it manages to hug the waist and hips like no other enduro fanny pack I’ve tried, fitting more like a belt than a bag.

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If that sounds like it’s lacking in storage capacity then think again. OK, it’s not going to keep you fed, clothed and watered on an overnight ride, but there’s plenty of room for the essentials you’ll need on most 2-3hr rides. It’ll easily hold my mini-pump, tube, mini-tools, packable jacket and car key. 

Storage is separated into several areas, with a large main compartment flanked by two mesh wings, one with a key fob. In the middle there’s another small pocket that will happily hold a phone, although it’s right in the firing line of mud and spray. Bike Test Editor Muldoon also swears by this pack as it’s big enough to take a standard shock pump; perfect if you need to tweak suspension settings while out and about. 

There’s nowhere to holster a water bottle, but you can use the main compartment to hold a small hydration bladder and poke the hose out of the side using velcro-sealed ports. 

Because Canyon’s Hip Bag is really light, and you can’t load it up too much, it stays pretty stable, even when really hustling the bike. But I think adding some silicone strips could improve that further still. The elasticated belt is also fairly narrow, and making it wider – like Scott’s Trail Hipbelt FR5 – would really lock it in place. My only other slight criticism is the hook attached to the top of the bag section (that is designed to clip onto Canyon’s bib shorts) can dig into the small of your back. There’s nothing stopping you from cutting it off though – I did. 

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